By Michael W. McLaughlin
Sometimes I think every consulting proposal should include a bright
red label warning: Persistent drowsiness is a known side effect of
reading this.
Not long ago, a consultant wrote to ask me how to make proposals come
alive, especially in highly competitive bidding situations. My answer
was simple: Write for the first reader and the last reader of each proposal. Otherwise, you’re likely to lull your readers to sleep and find yourself without a sale.
Most Proposals Are D.O.A.
At a meeting with a prospective client, I spotted a rather large
mound of spiral-bound proposals on the credenza. I asked if the client
had read them yet. “No, and I won’t, either. Most are just too hard to
wade through. If anything, I’ll skim them.”
Pondering the hundreds of hours that people had poured into those
proposals, I wondered if the authors would do anything differently if
they knew the fate of all that hard work.
Now it’s true that consultants often have to create proposals in a
big hurry. Once they commit to seeking outside help, most clients are
anxious to receive a proposal. In response to crunch time, some writers
force pre-fabricated language into their proposals. Too often, though,
what’s easy for the author to write is so painful for clients to read
that they don’t.
Fortunately, many consultants now recognize that weighing down a
proposal with jargon and buzzwords results in ambiguity about the
project objectives, scope, and anticipated results. The few jargon-laden
proposals that sneak through the client’s selection process often need
extensive rework before a project can be launched.
Consultants also seem to be getting the hang of beginning proposals
with a discussion of the client’s needs and ending with a recitation of
the consultant’s credentials—instead of the other way around.
Quack, Quack, Quack
What’s often missing from consulting proposals is recognition of who
the reader is. If you want to create a responsive and winning proposal,
write with specific people firmly in mind—not the generic “client.”
read more: http://mindshareconsulting.com/will-anyone-read-your-proposal/
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